Cracking Ice Age dress code a shot-in-the-arm for fashionistas

Methods used to crack the dress code of oetzi the Iceman, whose mummified remains turned up in an Alpine glacier almost two decades ago, could be a boon to the clothing industry, a new study shows.

Analysing samples of his more than 5,000-year-old Neolithic clothing "we found the hairs came from sheep and cattle, the type of animals herdsmen care for during their seasonal migrations," said lead researcher Klaus Hollemeyer of Germany's Saarland University.

Specifically, his coat and leggings were made from sheep's fur and his moccasins were of cattle origin.

Mr Hollemeyer told AFP that the method used to study the samples - known as MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry - is faster and more reliable than methods based on DNA analysis.

"This method could, for example, be used in checking the purity of products made from animal hair, such as cashmere wool," he said.

It could also prove particularly useful to clothes manufacturers next year when the European Union enforces a ban on dog and cat fur trade.

Mr Hollemeyer says that DNA sampling is less reliable, especially in processed furs or animal wool, as DNA can be destroyed during tanning, bleaching and colouring.

"The same often happens with archaeological samples stored under non-optimal conditions," he said.

The study has been published in the journal Rapid Communications In Mass Spectrometry.